Scores and Updates (9/28)

Watauga scores with 7 minutes to go, makes 2-point play. Shelby 34-15.
Crest def. Forestview 35-0
28-21 N. Gaston over Ashbrook 4th quarter

Live from Kings Mountain

Set up here in the pressbox at John Gamble Stadium. Beautiful night for football in Kings Mountain as we're about 20 minutes from kickoff.

Kings Mountain is in its black tops with white pants and black helmets. East Gaston is in white tops and white pants with red helmets.

Captains - KM: Tony Barnett, Jerry Lowery, Brandon Davis, Thomas James; EG: Charles Johnson, Zac Wooten, Daniel Rogers, Stephen Timpson.

KM won the toss and elected to receive.

First
- KM fumbles away first possession
- EG drives down to the 20, then misses 37 FG with 7 minutes left in first
- KM's Michael Roberts finds Neil Scott for a 22-yard TD pass on 4th and 5. Alex Randall's kick makes it 7-0 at 1:44
- Roberts finds Scott for a 26 TD pass with 4:54 left in the 2nd. 14-0 after Randall's kick.
The reason for the less-frequent updates .... both teams are in no-huddle offense and things are moving fast.
- Charles Johsnon 30 TD run around the left side pulls EG within 8 at 14-6 with 4:10 left. The XP failed.
- KM takes advantage of a huge personal foul penalty and scores on a 5-yard scamper by Leon Staton. Randall's kick makes it 21-6 at 1:27.
- Alex Randall hits a 33 yard FG at the first half horn to make it 24-6 at the half.

Pressbox update - Jake Dixon's oysters are as good - and the horseradish is as hot - as advertised. I had two in my rookie venture to John Gamble Stadium ...

3rd
KM goes up 31-6 at 7:20 on a 2-yard rumble by C.J. Belcher. Randall's kick good.
KM's Roberts sneaks in from 1 yard out late in the 3rd to make it 38-6 after Randall's kick. KM now has 13 first downs to EG's 3 first downs.
4th
EG's Charles Johnson runs back a punt 51 yards for TD. Cody Bishop's kick makes it 38-13 with 5:50 left in the game
EG'S Vidol Crawford hits Justin Clark from 3 yards out to make it 38-20 with 24 seconds left.

KM wins 38-20

Tonight's coverage

I'll be blogging live from East Gaston-Kings Mountain tonight. Check back to the blog for updates from that game as well as scores from around the area.

Enjoy the games!

N.C. High School football poll (9/26)

RALEIGH (AP) — The Associated Press state high school football poll for the week of Sept. 25, first-place votes in parentheses, records and total points as voted upon by a statewide panel of prep sports writers:

Class 4-A W-L Pts LW
1. Charlotte Independence (15) 4-1 150 1
2. Richmond County 5-0 118 2
3. Wilmington Hoggard 4-0 112 3
4. West Charlotte 5-1 86 5
5. Matthews Butler 4-1 79 6
6. Garner 6-0 73 7
7. Scotland County 5-0 72 8
8. Greensboro Grimsley 5-0 48 9
9. Shelby Crest 4-1 32 4
10. Hope Mills South View 6-0 25 —
Others receiving votes: Wake Forest-Rolesville 22, Raleigh Leesville Road 3, Gastonia Ashbrook 2, Pembroke Swett 2, Fayetteville Byrd 1.

Class 3-A W-L Pts LW
1. Western Alamance (12) 6-0 147 1
2. Rocky Mount (3) 6-0 138 2
3. Belmont South Point 5-0 94 4
T4. Asheville Roberson 5-0 88 5
T4. SouthWest Edgecombe 5-0 88 3
6. Anson County 5-1 51 7
7. Charlotte Catholic 4-2 49 6
8. West Rowan 5-0 38 10
9. North Gaston 4-1 36 8
10. Northeast Guilford 4-1 22 9
Others receiving votes: Kernersville Glenn 20, Hickory 14, Eastern Alamance 10, Kannapolis Brown 9, Greensboro Dudley 8, Wilson Hunt 7, Hertford County 6.

Class 2-A W-L Pts LW
1. Reidsville (14) 5-0 149 1
2. Shelby (1) 4-1 125 2
3. Jacksonville Northside 5-0 113 4
4. South Columbus 5-0 96 6
5. Southern Vance 5-1 92 5
6. Mt. Pleasant 5-0 80 8
7. Southwest Onslow 4-1 68 7
8. Bunn 4-1 42 3
9. Burlington Cummings 3-3 14 10
10. Salisbury 5-1 10 —
Others receiving votes: Brevard 8, West Davidson 6, Pittsboro Northwood 6, Whiteville 5, North Lincoln 4, Lenoir Hibriten 2, Mitchell County 2, East Lincoln 2, Thomasville Ledford 1.

Class 1-A W-L-T Pts LW
1. Thomasville (12) 5-0-0 147 1
2. Warsaw Kenan (3) 6-0-0 138 2
3. Mt. Airy 5-0-0 114 3
4. Polk County 6-0-0 102 4
5. Plymouth 5-0-0 91 5
6. Jordan-Matthews 5-0-1 67 6
7. North Duplin 5-0-0 48 10
8. Wallace-Rose Hill 4-1-0 36 9
9. Ayden-Grifton 5-1-0 22 —
10. West Montgomery 4-1-0 19 7
Others receiving votes: East Bladen 11, Pender County 8, East Surry 7, Murphy 7, Salemburg Lakewood 4, Louisburg 2, Pamlico County 1, Cherryville 1.

A weekend to remember

Column from Monday's edition of The Star

I said before I left with Gardner-Webb’s football team to Mississippi State that it would be a trip the program would never forget.

You can count me in on that statement as well.

Covering games is obviously what I do. Not a week goes by that I don’t see an impressive individual or team performance at the high school and college levels.

But it’s not often that I get to witness history in this business. That’s what happened Saturday night when the Runnin’ Bulldogs took the field at Mississippi State as the first Big South Conference program to face a squad from the mighty Southeastern Conference.

That fact will be far from the only lasting memory from the trip.

The bus rides, the charter flights, the conversations — not to mention the blogging — all made this an enjoyable journey to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, there was a good bit of work involved in interviewing folks, taking pictures, posting blogs and oh yeah, covering the game and getting a story back to The Star pretty quick Saturday night.

But there’s work and there’s work that’s a lot of fun. This weekend proved to be more of the latter.

First of all, I want to thank the good people at Gardner-Webb for the opportunity to go on this trip and for all the cooperation from the fans, players and coaches from Friday afternoon until the early morning hours on Sunday.

I also want to express my appreciation to all the folks that visited the blog in Cleveland County and Starkville, Miss. — and all points in between. One of the best moments of the weekend was when one of the Sports Information Directors from MSU come up to me in the pressbox and said she enjoyed following the blog over the weekend.

Due to time constraints last night, I didn’t get a chance to interview MSU coach Sylvester Croom or any of his players following the game. Here’s a few quotes from the university’s Web site.

From Croom: “First I wish Gardner-Webb players and coaching staff the best of luck the rest of their season. I thought that those kids came out in the second half when things were not looking their way and played with valiant effort. This is a game that we expect to win and are suppose to win, but it is very easy to overlook this kind of game and slip up.”

“We had never been in this type of situation, but our kids came out and put points up like I expected us to do in the first half. To Gardner-Webb’s credit they came back.”

From MSU linebacker Gabe O’Neal: “There are many teams that are starting to run that spread offense. We have to practice well against that and prepare the best we can. I think it is a good opportunity to face this offense because we will have to face it again later in the season.”

Here’s a few additional stats from Saturday night:
Gardner-Webb’s 334 total yards were more than either Tulane or Auburn gained against MSU.

Facing the SEC’S third-best pass defense, GWU finished with 203 passing yards and had more first downs (20) than the home team.

Defensively, GWU held MSU to just 118 yards in the second half (56 rushing) and just six first downs.

True freshman linebacker Jeffrey Williams finished with a career-high 11 tackles to pace Gardner-Webb’s defense. Mario Brown posted eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback pressure.

Next: The Runnin’ Bulldogs host Austin Peay Saturday at 6 p.m. in a non-conference contest.

More pics

A shot from the pressbox down on the tailgating at The Junction

GWU warming up pregame

The teams coming out on the field

GWU's players headed to the locker room after the hardfought battle

Back home

The bus pulled into Gardner-Webb right around 4 a.m. ... now back at home and tired isn't the word for it! Figured before I got some much-needed shut-eye, I would post a few more pictures from Saturday ... Look for a follow-up story from this weekend's trip to Mississippi in Monday's edition of The Star.




Another shot of The Junction Now that's tailgating ...

More cowbell ...

Bully the Bulldog, MSU's mascot

More blogging

I've got a few more pictures and notes from the trip that I doubt I'll have time to post between the end of the game and when we get on the flight for Charlotte. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the follow-ups ...

Game blog

GWU won the toss and deferred to the second half. MSU starts with ball at own 32.
1st
- MSU scores on long opening drive as big RB Anthony Dixon rumbles in around the right side for a 10-yard TD run at 10:02. Adam Carlson's XP makes it 7-0. MSU overcame two holding penalties inside the 20.
- GWU starts first drive at own 29. GWU picks up a first down on a 7-yard run by Brandon Jackson, but the drive is halted near midfield as De'Mon Glanton picks off a Devin Campbell pass and brings it back 60 yards for a score. Carlson's kick makes it 14-0 at 7:55.
- GWU picks up a pair of first downs before the drive stalls near mifield and GWU is forced to punt. MSU takes over at own 12 with 3:40 left.
- GWU's Mario Brown recovers a fumble at MSU 15 and takes over with 3:45 left.
- MSU flagged for past interference on 3rd and 7 with 2:34 left in first. GWU with first and goal at the 3. Another Pass Int. in the endzone gives GWU 1st and goal at the 1. GWU calls a timeout.
- First quarter ends after three-straight gains of no yardage at the 1 by GWU. The second quarter will start with GWU having 4th and goal at the 1.
2nd
- Doolittle throws an incompletion out of the end zone as GWU turns it over on downs at the MSU 1.
- GWU forces a punt and takes over at own 20 with 12:02 left in half.
- GWU fumbles a short, completed past and MSU recovers at 24. The play is reviewed and the call stands. 1st and 10 MSU at GWU 24.
- A bobbled snap causes MSU to miss a 27-yard FG try midway through the second. GWU takes over at own 20 with 7 minutes left in half.
- MSU drives 48 yards on 8 plans to take a 21-0 lead at 2:42 on Dixon's second TD run of the game - this one of 12 yards. Carlson added the XP.
- MSU with good field pos. at the GWU 30 with 1:23 left after a GWU punt. New QB Josh Riddell finds Tony Burks on a 30 yard TD strike after a GWU punt. Carlson's kick makes it 28-0 with 1:18 left.
First half complete with MSU leading 28-0. I'll post some stats when I get them ...

Breakdown: The missed opportunity at the end of the first quarter was big. If GWU cuts it to 14-7 at that point - and just as important gains momentum - this game could very well be much closer right now.
The Runnin' Bulldogs have had some success on both sides of the ball, but MSU's speed and size have seemed to take a toll. The two late touchdowns to push the score to 28-0 both came after three-and-outs by GWU as the defense spent a lot of time on the field late in the half.

Key stats: MSU leads the total yards by a margin of 365-103. MSU has done most of its damage on the ground with 34 carries for 261. Anthony Dixon leads MSU with 15 carries for 87 yards.
Both teams have used two quarterbacks. MSU with Wesley Carroll and Josh Riddell, while GWU's tandem has been Devin Campbell and Stan Doolittle.
Jarvis Williams is GWU's leading tackler with 6 stops.

3rd quarter
- Second half under way with GWU with the ball at own 20.
- GWU with a solid, 10-play, 63-yard drive to get on the scoreboard after a 33-yard FG by freshman kicker Evan Kay. Junior Dobson Collins had the big play on the drive with a long run on an end-around. Score now 28-3 with 10:43 left in the 3rd.
- MSU's Carlson answers with a 33-yarder to make it 31-3 with 7 minutes left.
- Kay hits a 20 yarder to cap a 9-play 70-yard drive with 4 minutes left. Score now 31-6. FG set up by a 36-yard catch-and-run from Doolittle to Duvaughn Flagler.

4th quarter
4th quarter under way with GWU driving inside the MSU 10. David Montgomery with several big runs on the drive. Phillip Peoples finishes off a 10-play, 80-yard drive to make it 31-12. The two-point conversion pass fails with 12 minutes left.
GWU has outscored MSU, 12-3 in the second half.
GWU'S Rent Sherrill picks off a Riddell pass with 11 minutes left near midfield.
With 6:16 left, Kay hits his third FG to make it 31-15 during a late-game rainstorm.

Gettin' loose

GWU warming up before the game.

"The Junction," a sea of tents behind the stadium where the MSU faithful tailgate before (and after) the game. The Junction is only two years old and supposedly has added another dimension to the atmosphere around the stadium before games. Good eats and good folks (and cowbells) out there ...

1 hour until kickoff

More like 50 minutes until GWU kicks off against Mississippi State at historic Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. The Runnin' Bulldogs will be wearing their white tops with silver pants and silver helmets. The "Maroon 'Dogs" are in their maroon tops with white pants and white helmets.

Both teams are going through pregame warm-ups now ...

I'm having a tough time getting connected through the MSU connection, but thanks to the Sprint Card I can do some posting. Pictures are taking a little time to post, but I'll try to get a few of the tailgating shots I took on here before the game gets underway.

Davis Wade before the crowd

Click on the image to make it larger. I'm having to send these smaller for some reason ...

Welcome to Starkville

Coach Steve Patton with some of the tickets to tonight's game.

Arrived at Davis Wade Stadium about 30 minutes ago and now up in the pressbox. I'm the only one here, seeing it's about 4 hours until kickoff! I caught a cab ride over early ... after I post this blog I'm going to head down and talk to both sets of "Bulldogs" fans and get a few pictures of the Starkville scene.

Rest of the day

I'll be heading over to the stadium hopefully within the next hour to get a few pictures and talk to some Mississippi State fans. Once I get set up in the press box, I'll post pictures and blogs.

Team meetings

Top photo, head coach Steve Patton addresses the players before the start of individual team meetings Saturday morning in the conference room of the Holiday Inn. Second photo, defensive line coach Mike Doolittle talks to his players as the specific units broke up into groups.

This is one of the parts of the trip that I was really looking forward to ... being able to sit in on the pre-game team meetings to hear some "X's and O's" talk. I sat in on the offensive meeting for the most part as offensive coordinator Joe Pizzo broke down the MSU defense on the projector screen. It's amazing the detail that goes into each play at each position. Indeed, football is about blocking and tackling, but I feel the thinking aspect of the game is often underappreciated.

Defensive line coach Mike Doolittle on the importance of team meetings
"It's touching up and remembering the finer points. We go through all the signals and to make sure everybody is straight ... make sure everybody is on the same page.
"This weekend, we especially wanted to remind them about the opportunity they have."

Doolittle on gearing up for Mississippi State
"We're telling our guys to weather the storm. You're going to get rocked a little bit. That's fine, you're going to rock them a little bit. Keep your composure and focus at all times.
"Get this thing into the fourth quarter and at that point the pressure goes all to them. From there, you just finish the job."

Defensive end Leon Hudson (So., Fayetteville) on team meetings
"You just pay attention to the coaches and make sure you know your assignments ... know what you have to do and go out there and be ready to play.
Each time you are in the meetings, something new comes up."

Big breakfast

The Gardner-Webb football team painted Ryan's red this morning as the entire team and coaching staff came in for the most important meal of the day. Here's a few shots at Ryan's ... and from the walk back across the street.

Game day

Just got back from breakfast at Ryan's and about to head downstairs to the team meetings. I'll post a few pictures when I get back up the to room and before heading to the stadium. The buses are set to pull out around 3 p.m. CST. Kickoff is 6 p.m. CST/7 p.m. EST.

The fans' perspective

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Larry Bumgardner was on hand for one of Gardner-Webb’s biggest wins this decade when the Runnin’ Bulldogs went on the road and upset 1-AA nationally ranked New Hampshire back in 2000.
Before that victory and since then, he has followed various Gardner-Webb teams all over the country.
When the prospect of going with the Bulldogs to Mississippi State arose, it was a no-brainer.
No Gardner-Webb team in any sport has ever played in front as many fans as will be on hand tonight - approximately 40,000. No Big South Conference football squad has ever faced a Southeastern Conference team.
And Bumgardner wouldn’t miss it.
"This is something I’m very passionate about. Gardner-Webb football has grown over time. It’s an environment where there is a lot of excitement," said Bumgardner, a Gastonia resident. "Just being there for the kids and all the teams is reason enough to make these trips. That’s what it’s all about."
According to athletics director Church Burch, approximately 400 Gardner-Webb fans are making the trip to Starkville for the game. Thirty-five were on the team’s chartered flight that left out of Charlotte Friday afternoon.
Anthony Strange, a 1983 GWU grad and a member of the Board of Trustees, made the trek from Richmond, Va..
"It’s a great opportunity to be with the team and players. I love college football, and this is so exciting to see the program play in a venue like Mississippi State," said Strange, whose daughter Ashley currently attends GWU. "Something like this was so far from an idea back when I was in school."
For Burch and the rest of the athletic staff, tonight marks a historical event for the program.
"It gives our football program the kind of recognition that the basketball team has received after playing North Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgia," Burch said. "It gives us the opportunity to showcase our program on the national spotlight.
"I’m also proud for our fans. I’m sure they will be very loud and supportive … they are ambassadors of the university."

Last night

Wide receiver Nick Melton and a few GWU players playing cards before lights out last night.

Melton's comments about the experience of the trip ...

"The best part so far has just been us being together on the plane and coming together as one. They're treatin' us like stars right now (the police escort to the hotel). We didn't just come here to play, we came here to win.

"It's good to get these big schools on our schedule, there's no telling who Gardner-Webb could play in the next few years."

Reader e-mails

With things winding down around here, figured I would post a couple of e-mails I've received since I started on the trip. Always nice to hear from new folks, from both near and far ...

Greetings from Mississippi. I hope you enjoy your trip and the visit to the MSU campus. Be sure to get to "The Junction" plenty early and enjoy the atmosphere. The MSU players arrive at the stadium about two hours before kick off. You definitely do not want to miss that. I have dreaded this game since the schedule came out. We have a tendency to look past non-SEC opponents. That, coupled with the fact that some kind of virus has spread through the team this week, is cause for concern. If you need some info about the campus, campus history, places to eat, etc., just email me back and let me know. Looking forward to reading your chronicle of the trip. Again, have a good flight down and enjoy your time at MSU

Jay Stegall

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Enjoyed your article GW football is much more exciting than where I was in school there 1968-72----can’t wait for the App. game---I am disappointed that GW does not have a ticket available link on their site---have fun, I hear it’s the best

Mike E. Stamey--

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SEC country

Need proof the SEC is king down here? Four front page Friday stories, three SEC preview stories and one SEC column. You can't beat it as a college football fan ...

One of the first things I always do when I get into a new town when travelling is pick up the local newspaper, regardless of the size of the town. I always think it's interesting to see how other papers play up or down similar national stories, and of course to check out how they cover their local sports. Good preview story of the GWU-MSU game by the local Commercial Dispatch (www.cdispatch.com).

Settling in

And boy, was it a welcome! After unboarding at the Columbus, Miss. airport, the three charter buses received a police escort down the highway and to our hotel. According to Trooper L. Morgan of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, this is standard procedure for visitors of MSU that come into town. The buses will also be escorted from Columbus to nearby Starkville for the game tomorrow as well.

GWU fans and players unboard the plane

Air-blogging (kind of)

Air-blogging (kind of)
I mentioned in Wednesday’s column that it had been six years since I had been on an airplane.
The two coolest things about flying to me …
1) The acceleration during take off (anybody know how fast?) I’ve never been a big “adrenaline junkie,” but moving down the runway that rapidly is quite a rush.
2) That sense of amazement when you get above the clouds, especially with the clear blue skies we were floating through. Wow! Window seats are definitely the way to go. I’m generally not a huge fan of heights, but looking down doesn’t bother me in a plane.

The coolest thing about the inside of this plane… watching ESPN and blogging (well, on a Word document at least) at 32,000 feet (rough estimate). I could get used to this …

Starting the descent to Columbus, Miss. The captain said its 83 degrees with light wind. Sounds good!

Boarding

ESPN News on a Jet Blue Charter ... can't beat it

About to board

Unforunately, my camera batteries died, so no photo updates until we get to Mississippi. I hate not being able to get any pictures of the outside and inside of the plane, but hopefully I can take a few on the way back home! I'll try to post once we land in Columbus, Miss.

Until then ...

Waiting on the bus

Still about 30 minutes from take off as the players and a few fans wait on the bus

GWU coach Steve Patton, in black, talking to a few team supporters in the terminal before the flight. According to GWU athletic director, Chuck Burch, approximately 400 fans are making the trip from to Starkville, Miss. for Saturday's game. About 35 will be on the flight this afternoon.

At the Air Center

GWU's team charter buses waiting at Wilson Air Center in Charlotte. The flight is scheduled to take off at 3:45 for Columbus, Miss. From what I understand, we'll only be in the air for about an hour.

1st Pre Take Off blog

Just sitting here in the GWU Football Center about an hour or so before loading the buses for the airport in Charlotte. Pretty quiet around here right now, but I'm sure that will change soon. I'll try to post a few blog updates between now and take off.

Players are coming in and out of the center as they prepare for the trip ... I got a quick quote from offensive lineman Demario Deese, a junior from Independence.

"I'm excited to play against an SEC team. I'm looking forward to that, because I grew up watching the SEC. I think it will show us where we're at as a team. It will show where our talent level is. If we beat these guys, it shows we can win conference and beat anybody else," Deese said.

MSU's Davis Wade Stadium

Here's a shot of Mississippi State's Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field - the second-oldest Division I football venue in the country, which was built in 1916.

N.C. AP football poll (9/20)

Class 4A
School Total Points Prv
1. Charlotte Independence (17) 3-1 187 1
2. Richmond County 4-0 145 3
3. Wilmington Hoggard (2) 3-0 134 4
4. Crest 4-0 110 5
5. West Charlotte 4-1 92 9
6. Matthews Butler 3-1 79 2
7. Garner 5-0 74 7
8. Scotland County 4-0 70 6
9. Greensboro Grimsley 5-0 56 -
10. Wake Forest-Rolesville 5-0 38 10
Others receiving votes: East Burke 22, Hope Mills South View 18, New Bern 8, Raleigh Leesville Road 7, Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor 3, Greenville Rose 2.
Class 3A
School Total Points Prv
1. Western Alamance (16) 5-0 186 1
2. Rocky Mount (3) 5-0 168 2
3. SouthWest Edgecombe 4-0 108 6
4. South Point 4-0 105 8
5. Asheville Roberson 4-0 100 9
6. Charlotte Catholic 3-2 55 10
7. Anson County 4-1 41 -
8. North Gaston 3-1 36 3
9. Northeast Guilford 3-1 34 7
10. West Rowan 4-0 32 -
Others receiving votes: Kernersville Glenn 30, Kannapolis Brown 29, Hertford County 26, Eastern Alamance 23, Hickory 22, Wilson Hunt 13, Monroe Sun Valley 7, Greensboro Dudley 6, Asheville 6, Winston-Salem Parkland 4, Winston-Salem Carver 3, Franklin 3, East Rowan 2, Gastonia Forestview 2, Southern Lee 2, Jacksonville 1, Currituck County 1.
Class 2A
School Total Points Prv
1. Reidsville (16) 4-0 187 1
2. Shelby (2) 3-1 160 2
3. Bunn (1) 4-0 146 3
4. Jacksonville Northside 4-1 121 5
5. Southern Vance 4-1 94 4
6. South Columbus 4-0 93 9
7. Southwest Onslow 3-1 49 10
8. Mt. Pleasant 4-0 42 -
9. Brevard 2-2 28 7
10. Burlington Cummings 2-3 21 8
Others receiving votes: Maiden 19, East Lincoln 11, Thomasville Ledford 10, West Davidson 10, Whiteville 10, Farmville Central 8, Tarboro 5, East Rutherford 5, South Brunswick 4, Sylva Smoky Mountain 4, Salisbury 4, Lenoir Hibriten 3, Monroe 2, Pittsboro Northwood 2, Black Mountain Owen 2, Canton Pisgah 2, Greene Central 2, East Duplin 1.

Class 1A
School Total Points Prv
1. Thomasville (11) 4-0-0 164 1
2. Warsaw Kenan (6) 5-0-0 159 2
3. Mt. Airy 5-0-0 128 4
4. Polk County 5-0-0 113 5
5. Plymouth 4-0-0 98 6
6. Siler City Jordan-Matthews 4-0-1 62 8
7. West Montgomery 4-0-0 57 7
8. East Bladen 3-1-0 42 9
9. Wallace-Rose Hill (1) 3-1-0 39 3
10. North Duplin 4-0-0 28 -
Others receiving votes: Ayden-Grifton 17, Cherokee 8, East Surry 6, Murphy 6, Louisburg 2, Cherryville 2, Salemburg Lakewood 2, West Columbus 1, Pender County 1.

Follow GWU's trip to Mississippi State here ...

When the Gardner-Webb football schedule was released, the Mississippi State game was the one that jumped out the most.
I’ve always been a fan of Southeastern Conference football and the simple fact the Runnin’ Bulldogs were making a trip to the old institution in Starkville, Miss., was intriguing.
Following Appalachian State’s recent ballyhooed upset over Michigan, the matchup between GWU and MSU gained even more luster. Anything can happen now, right?
Late last week I found out that IF an upset does happen in the heart of SEC country this weekend — or even if it doesn’t — I will be there for The Star.
Other than the nervousness about flying (I haven’t been in a plane in six years), I’m ecstatic about making the trip. I hear Starkville has a great football environment with loud, cowbell ringing fans. I can’t wait to take all of that in. I’ve seen and covered games in plenty of big ACC football and basketball venues but like Gardner-Webb, this will be my first trip to an SEC football stadium.
It will be interesting to see how Steve Patton’s Bulldogs match up with Sylvester Croom’s squad with the same nickname, fresh off an upset win at Auburn. Win or lose, it’s safe to say this will be an experience GWU’s players and staff will always remember.
On top of covering the game Saturday at historic Davis Wade Stadium, I’ll be posting on my blog on Friday and Saturday leading up to the 7 p.m. (EST) kickoff. If there’s anything specific you would like to know about from the trip, feel free to comment on my blog or send me an e-mail.
Here’s the itinerary …
Friday
11:30 a.m.: Load buses at GWU for airport in Charlotte
2 p.m.: Flight leaves Charlotte for Columbus, Miss.
2:45 p.m.: Lose an hour on flight and land in Columbus-Golden Triangle, MS
4 p.m.: Arrive at Holiday Inn
4:30 p.m.-until: GWU will hold team meetings and have dinner at Ryan’s
Saturday
10:30 a.m.: GWU starts walk-throughs and watches tape of MSU
2 p.m.: Pre-game meal in hotel
3 p.m.: Leave for Davis Wade Stadium
4:40 p.m.: Pre-game workouts begin
6 p.m. CST, 7 p.m. EST: Kickoff
9:35 p.m.: Post-game meal and head to GTR airport
11 p.m.: Plane departs for Charlotte

This week's schedules

Here's a list of most of the Cleveland County high schools and middle school football schedules for the upcoming week. Check back to my blog at the first of each week for schedules. If there are any corrections/additions, please let me know.

Monday, Sept. 17
Kings Mountain at Crest volleyball
Ashbrook at Shelby volleyball
Burns at Kings Mountain girls tennis
East Rutherford at Shelby girls tennis
Lincolnton at Shelby boys soccer
Burns at Thomas Jefferson boys soccer
Kings Mountain at West Lincoln boys soccer

Tuesday, Sept. 18
Crest at South Point volleyball
Crest at Forestview girls tennis
Shelby at Kings Mountain volleyball
Burns at R-S volleyball
SWC pre-conference cross country meet at Burns

Wednesday, Sept. 19
Crest at Shelby boys soccer
Burns at Shelby girls tennis
Alexander Central at Kings Mountain boys soccer
West Lincoln at Burns boys soccer
Cherryville at Kings Mountain girls tennis
Middle School football
Burns at Crest
Kings Mountain at Shelby

Thursday, Sept. 20
Crest at Ashbrook volleyball
Crest at North Gaston boys soccer
Chase at Burns volleyball
East Rutherford at Kings Mountain volleyball
R-S at Shelby volleyball
Lincolnton at Burns girls tennis
West Lincoln at Shelby girls tennis
JV football
Brevard at Shelby
Burns at Forestview
Crest at Ashbrook

Friday, Sept. 21
Football
Ashbrook at Crest
Forestview at Burns
Shelby at Brevard
Kings Mountain at Victory Christian

KM at Crest defensive stats

Thanks to Justin Smith of WDYT-AM 1220 for the stats. While I'm at it, thanks to all the stat guys around the county - Jim and Bob Sherman at Shelby; Trey Albright of Crest's Teamline crew and Chris Glover at Burns.

KM
Tony Barnett 3 solo, 1 assist, 1 tackle for loss
Leon Staton 2 solo, 2 assists
Bryant Petty 2 solo, 1 assist, 2 pass breakups
Neil Scott 2 pass breakups

Crest
Jacob Tisdale 7 solo, 2 assists, 1 blocked kick
Tim Cobb 3 solo, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass break up
Kenneth Huskey 3 assists
Josh McDowell 1 solo, 2 assists, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack
Tosh Toms 1 pass break up
Justn Price 1 pass break up

9/14 Scores and Updates

Associated Press
Albemarle 30, Fairmont 0
Anson County 24, Kannapolis Brown 21
Arden Christ School 30, Charlotte Northside Christian 6
Asheville 35, Brevard 14
Asheville Reynolds 53, Waynesville Tuscola 7
Asheville Roberson 33, Morganton Freedom 6
Belmont South Point 28, Burns 7
Bunn 21, Oxford Webb 20
Cape Fear 34, Western Harnett 14
Charlotte Ardrey Kell 20, Indian Trail Porter Ridge 7
Charlotte Catholic 26, North Gaston 24
Charlotte Christian 38, East Lincoln 14
Charlotte Independence 28, Charlotte Vance 0
Choctaw Central, Miss. 19, Cherokee 16
Concord 31, Hickory Ridge 14
Concord First Assembly 58, Asheville School 0
Durham Hillside 42, Northern Vance 6
East Rowan 27, China Grove Carson 0
East Rutherford 34, Bessemer City 20
Fayetteville Byrd 29, Fayetteville Smith 13
Fayetteville Pine Forest 28, Spring Lake Overhills 14
Fayetteville Sanford 37, Harnett Central 0
Forsyth County Day 28, South Davidson 0
Gastonia Ashbrook 28, Charlotte Olympic 20
Gastonia Forestview 13, Charlotte Waddell 6
Gastonia Highland Tech 38, Fayetteville Christian 16
Hayesville 12, Towns Country, Ga. 6
Hope Mills South View 25, Hoke County 8
Huntersville Hopewell 28, East Gaston 0
Jacksonville 14, Richlands 9
Jacksonville White Oak 10, Havelock 7
Johnson County, Tenn. 21, Avery County 7
Mt. Pleasant 35, Concord Robinson 6
North Mecklenburg 49, Charlotte Garinger 0
Perquimans County 21, Gates County 6
Polk County 28, Forest City Chase 0
Salisbury 29, Eastern Randolph 25
Shelby 35, Lincolnton 13
Crest 45, Kings Mountain 18
Southern Durham 17, New Hanover County 8
Statesville 21, South Rowan 12
Topsail 31, Rocky Point Trask 14
Warsaw Kenan 19, East Duplin 3
West Mecklenburg 29, Mallard Creek 0
West Rowan 46, Northwest Cabarrus 21
Whiteville 28, West Brunswick 0
Williamston 19, North Pitt 15
Wilmington Hoggard 48, Greenville Rose 17
Wilmington Laney 20, Lumberton 15
POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Charlotte Providence Day vs. North Raleigh Christian, ppd. to Sep 15.
Durham Riverside vs. Southeast Raleigh, ppd. to Sep 15.
Durham Jordan vs. Raleigh Enloe, ppd.
Red Springs vs. East Montgomery, ppd.
Randleman vs. Siler City Jordan-Matthews, ppd.
Southern Guilford vs. Southwestern Randolph, ppd.
Watauga County vs. Ashe County, ppd. to Sep 17.
North Buncombe vs. Swain County, ppd. to Sep 15.
Cherryville vs. Madison County, ppd. to Sep 15.
Canton Pisgah vs. Mitchell County, ppd. to Sep 15.
Gastonia Huss vs. R-S Central, ppd. to Sep 16.
Greenville Conley vs. Ayden-Grifton, ppd. to Sep 16.
Hendersonville vs. East Henderson, ppd. to Sep 17.
Wilkes Central vs. Alexander Central, ppd. to Sep 15.
West Caldwell vs. Claremont Bunker Hill, ppd. to Sep 16.
Hickory vs. Hickory St. Stephens, ppd. to Sep 15.
Newton-Conover vs. Maiden, ppd. to Sep 15.
North Rowan vs. Thomasville, ppd. to Sep 15.
Trinity vs. Thomasville Ledford, ppd. to Sep 17.
High Point Central vs. High Point Andrews, ppd. to Sep 15.
West Craven vs. Eastern Wayne, ppd. to Sep 17.
Rosman vs. North Henderson, ppd. to Sep 15.
Alleghany County vs. Mt. Airy, ppd. to Sep 17.
South Stokes vs. East Surry, ppd. to Sep 17.
West Stokes vs. North Surry, ppd. to Sep 15.
West Davidson vs. Surry Central, ppd. to Sep 17.
Bertie County vs. Northern Nash, ppd. to Sep 15.
Pinetown Northside vs. North Edgecombe, ppd. to Sep 17.
Roanoke Rapids vs. Tarboro, ppd. to Sep 15.
Farmville Central vs. Wilson Beddingfield, ppd. to Sep 17.
Southern Nash vs. Wilson Hunt, ppd. to Sep 17.
East Forsyth vs. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor, ppd. to Sep 17.
East Burke vs. Boonville Starmount, ppd. to Sep 15.
Winston-Salem Carver vs. North Forsyth, ppd. to Sep 17.
East Wilkes vs. North Stokes, ppd. to Sep 15.
Winston-Salem Parkland vs. West Forsyth, ppd. to Sep 17.
Kernersville Glenn vs. Winston-Salem Reynolds, ppd. to Sep 17.
Elkin vs. Kernersville McGuinness, ppd. to Sep 15.
Winston-Salem Atkins vs. Pfafftown Reagan, ppd. to Sep 15.
North Lincoln vs. East Bend Forbush, ppd. to Sep 15.
South Mecklenburg vs. Charlotte Harding, ppd. to Sep 18.
West Charlotte vs. Matthews Butler, ppd. to Sep 18.
Western Alamance vs. Burlington Cummings, ppd.
Chapel Hill vs. Southern Alamance, ppd. to Sep 17.
Graham vs. Burlington Williams, ppd. to Sep 15.
Orange County vs. Eastern Alamance, ppd. to Sep 17.
Holly Springs vs. East Wake, ppd. to Sep 15.
Martinsville, Va. vs. Eden Morehead, ppd. to Sep 15.
Apex Middle Creek vs. Raleigh Leesville Road, ppd. to Sep 15.
Chatham Central vs. Pittsboro Northwood, ppd. to Sep 17.
Raleigh Sanderson vs. Cary, ppd. to Sep 15.
Southern Vance vs. Southwest Edgecombe, ppd. to Sep 17.
West Johnston vs. Garner, ppd. to Sep 15.
Southwest Guilford vs. Western Guilford, ppd. to Sep 17.
McDowell County vs. Mt. Zion Christian Academy, ppd. to Sep 15.
Raleigh Millbrook vs. Apex, ppd. to Sep 15.
Asheville Erwin vs. Burnsville Mountain Heritage, ppd. to Sep 15.
Word of God Christian Academy vs. St. David's, ppd. to Sep 15.
Hillsborough Cedar Ridge vs. Carrboro, ppd. to Sep 15.
Dunn Midway vs. North Johnston, ppd. to Sep 17.
Northern Durham vs. Wake Forest-Rolesville, ppd.
Knightdale vs. Smithfield-Selma, ppd. to Oct 12.
South Caldwell vs. South Iredell, ppd.
Mayodan McMichael vs. Rockingham County, ppd. to Sep 17.
Northeast Guilford vs. Reidsville, ppd.
Southeast Guilford vs. Northwest Guilford, ppd. to Sep 15.
Jamestown Ragsdale vs. Greensboro Grimsley, ppd. to Sep 15.
Raleigh Broughton vs. Raleigh Athens Drive, ppd. to Sep 17.

Live from Kings Mountain at Crest

Wet night here just like everywhere else as both teams are in the locker room with about 40 minutes left before kickoff. With three radio crews in the pressbox, things are pretty tight up here tonight. As always, I'll try to post as many updates as possible.

The rain has slacked off with about 10 minutes left before kickoff ...

Crest wins the toss and defers to the second half.

- Crest marches 80 yards, capped by a 27-yard TD run by Ryan Black and Trever Austin's kick to go up 7-0 at 7:13. Tosh Toms and Reggie Wilkins also with key first-down runs on the drive.
- KM answers on next drive as Michael Roberts finds Neil Scott on a 58-yard TD pass down the sideline. Alex Randall's kick ties it at 7-7 at 4:05
- KM recovers onsides kick, then goes 50 yards in the last 4 minutes of the quarter to go up 12-7 on a 7-yard TD pass from Roberts to C.J. Belcher.
- KM tries another onsides kick at end of quarter, but recovered by Crest.

2nd
- Crest takes just four plays to go 55 yards to take the lead. Black up the middle again for 35 yards for the score as Austin's kick makes it 14-12 at 10:18
- Crest takes advantage of a bad snap on a punt attempt by KM, which turned it over on downs at the CHS 9. Chargers punch it in three plays later on a short TD run by Black, his third of the game. Good catch on a high snap by Justin Price on the extra point as CHS goes up 21-12
- Crest freshman Trever Austin drills a season-long 40-yard FG just before the half to make it 24-12 at halftime. Black set up the FG with a huge 52-yard run.

First half breakdown: KM had some early momentum after recovering an onsides kick, then taking a 12-7 lead. Crest showed the ability to respond with 17 unanswered in the second quarter and seized the momentum going into halftime. The Chargers' running game has chewed up 206 yards on 19 carries keyed by Ryan Black's 10-140, 3 TD effort.
KM has had most of its success through the air as Michael Roberts and Neil Scott have hooked up four times for 120 yards with one TD. The Mounties have been limited to 22 yards rushing and less than one yard per carry.

2nd half
Word is more intense rain is coming this way ...
Crest goes up 31-12 on a Tosh Toms 4-yard TD run. Toms had a big run,before Wilkins found Levon Brooks on a 51-yard pass to set up the score with 8:12 left.
The Chargers go up 38-12 on Black's 4-yard TD blast with 14 seconds left. Crest drives 75 yards on 12 plays. Behind solid blocking, the Chargers have dominated the time of possession in the third. Austin is perfect on the night on XP with 1 FG.
Crest with the ball at KM 35 after Tim Cobb's strip with 4:30 left
KM's Roberts scores on a 7 yard run, taking advantage of a short field, to pull within 38-18 with 1:30 left.
Crest's Levon Brooks with a dazzling 99-yard kickoff return for a TD, weaving from one side of the field to the other. Austin's kick makes it 45-18 with 1:04 left.
Clock runs out on KM's final possession. Final score - Crest 45, KM 18

My take on tonight's games (9/14)

I'll be blogging live via the connection in The Star Car from Kings Mountain-Crest tonight, so drop by my blog during and after the game for updates.

Kings Mountain (0-3) at Crest (3-0)
The Mountaineers caught a tough break this week as they recently had to forfeit their opening win against Hunter Huss due to an ineligible player. Kings Mountain will have to quickly put that setback behind them as they face the unbeaten Chargers.

Crest continues to be a stout defensive team, but the Chargers should be able to put up more impressive numbers on offense tonight.

Lincolnton (1-3) at Shelby (2-1)
These two, 2A teams are battle-tested in the early going as they continue a long-standing series that dates back to 1922. Shelby senior quarterback Howard Thompson showed solid strides as a passer last week at Crest, and Thompson and the Golden Lions' offense should be able to continue those strides this week against Lincolnton.

The Wolves are yielding 29 points per game, compared to a Shelby defense giving up just 10 per outing.

Burns (1-2) at South Point (3-0)
The Red Raiders have scored 53 and 48, respectively, over the last two weeks, so the Bulldog defense will have a big challenge tonight in Belmont. Stopping quarterback Desmond Lowery (9.2 yards per carry) and South Point's running attack will be the key for Burns.

Getting out to a good start and an early lead will be crucial in this one for the Bulldogs, who showed a lot of fight in coming from behind last week at Ashbrook.

N.C. High School AP Poll (9/11)

Class 4A
School Total Points Prv
1. Independence (12) (2-1) 170 1
2. Matthews Butler (6) (3-0) 165 2
3. Richmond County (3-0) 124 4
4. Wilmington Hoggard (2-0) 106 5
5. Crest (3-0) 105 6
6. Scotland County (3-0) 75 9
7. Garner (4-0) 65 8
8. Greenville Rose (2-1) 38 3
9. West Charlotte (3-1) 28 7
10. Wake Forest-Rolesville (4-0) 24
(tie) Greensboro Grimsley (4-0) 24
Others receiving votes: East Burke 18, South View 15, Raleigh Leesville Road 12, New Bern 10, Davie County 5, Watauga County 3, Mt. Tabor 2, Concord Robinson 1.
Class 3A
School Total Points Prv
1. Western Alamance (14) (4-0) 174 1
2. Rocky Mount (3) (4-0) 157 3
3. North Gaston (1) (3-0) 115 5
4. Kannapolis Brown (4-0) 114 4
5. Hertford County (4-0) 93 6
6. Southwest Edgecombe (3-0) 63
7. Northeast Guilford (4-0) 50 9
8. Belmont South Point (3-0) 46 10
9. Asheville Roberson (3-0) 38
10. Charlotte Catholic (2-2) 29 2
Others receiving votes: Kernersville Glenn 21, Monroe Sun Valley 17, West Rowan 15, Hickory 12, Eastern Alamance 11, W-S Parkland 9, W-S Carver 8, Wilson Hunt 6, Northwest Cabarrus 3, Northern Guilford 3, Asheville 3, Greensboro Dudley 2, Harnett Central 1.
Class 2A
School Total Points Prv
1. Reidsville (13) (3-0) 175 2
2. Shelby (3) (2-1) 147 1
3. Bunn (1) (3-0) 139 4
4. Southern Vance (1) (4-0) 125 5
5. Jacksonville Northside (4-0) 100 6
6. Maiden (3-1) 73 8
7. Brevard (2-1) 51 7
8. Burlington Cummings (2-2) 35 3
9. South Columbus (3-0) 33
10. Southwest Onslow (3-1) 22
Others receiving votes: Mt. Pleasant 17, East Lincoln 16, West Davidson 13, Greene Central 11, East Duplin 9, Tarboro 5, Whiteville 4, Ledford 4, Lenoir Hibriten 3, South Brunswick 2, Pittsboro Northwood 2, Salisbury 1, Black Mountain Owen 1, Canton Pisgah 1, North Brunswick 1.
Class 1A
School Total Points Prv
1. Thomasville (14) (3-0) 173 1
2. Warsaw Kenan (3) (4-0) 163 2
3. Wallace-Rose Hill (3-0) 141 3
4. Mt. Airy (1) (4-0) 121 4
5. Polk County (4-0) 100 5
6. Plymouth (4-0) 84 7
7. West Montgomery (4-0) 50 9
8. Siler City Jordan-Matthews (3-0-1) 29 10
9. East Bladen (2-1) 28 6
10. Cherokee (2-1) 24 8
Others receiving votes: North Duplin 22, Ayden-Grifton 17, Murphy 9, East Surry 8, Chocowinity Southside 7, Hobbton 6, East Carteret 5, Hendersonville 3.

Scores and updates (9/7)

High School Scores

Alleghany County 20, Andrews 10
Anson County 34, Monroe Parkwood 7
Asheboro 21, Burlington Williams 17
Asheville Roberson 28, Asheville Reynolds 0
Ayden-Grifton 51, Greene Central 6
Bassett, Va. 49, Mayodan McMichael 12
Belmont South Point 48, Alexander Central 21
Bertie County 38, South Central Pitt 6
Bessemer City 20, Gastonia Highland Tech 0
Black Mountain Owen 23, East Henderson 3
Bunn 32, Louisburg 12
Canton Pisgah 17, North Buncombe 13
Cape Fear 48, Hope Mills Gray's Creek 29
Cary 20, Southeast Raleigh 7
Charlotte Ardrey Kell 21, West Mecklenburg 14
Charlotte Country Day 42, Madison County 21
Charlotte Independence 49, West Charlotte 32
Charlotte Latin 44, Charlotte Catholic 22
Charlotte Myers Park 34, Mallard Creek 21
Charlotte Vance 35, Charlotte Harding 34, OT
Cherryville 38, Forest City Chase 0
Clinton 21, Erwin Triton 13
Concord 41, Monroe Piedmont 6
Conway, S.C. 27, New Hanover County 17
Crest 14, Shelby 7
Currituck County 40, Atlantic Shores Christian, Va. 0
Dunn Midway 36, Princeton 7
Durham Jordan 28, Knightdale 0
East Burke 42, Gastonia Huss 25
East Carteret 21, Croatan 14
East Davidson 26, Southwestern Randolph 6
East Lincoln 35, East Gaston 6
East Mecklenburg 24, Charlotte Garinger 7
East Surry 31, East Wilkes 24, OT
Eastern Alamance 26, Burlington Cummings 0
Eastern Guilford 35, Western Guilford 21
Eastern Randolph 14, South Granville 6
Eden Morehead 27, Lexington 22
Enka 63, Asheville School 0
Fannin County, Ga. 42, Robbinsville 0
Fayetteville Britt 43, Fayetteville Sanford 20
Fayetteville Smith 21, Hoke County 20
Fayetteville Westover 22, Fayetteville Pine Forest 21
Franklin 24, Swain County 6
Franklinton 32, North Raleigh Christian 14
Fuquay-Varina 17, Clayton 7
Garner 37, Raleigh Wakefield 21
Gastonia Ashbrook 35, Burns 20
Gastonia Forestview 30, Kings Mountain 15
Greensboro Grimsley 27, High Point Andrews 6
Greenville Conley 26, North Pitt 19
Gretna, Va. 26, Davie County 20
Hayesville 31, Rabun County, Ga. 14
Hendersonville 53, Rosman 3
Hertford County 27, Northern Nash 0
Hickory 42, Catawba Bandys 35, OT
Hickory St. Stephens 13, Newton-Conover 10
Hobbton 16, North Johnston 7
Hope Mills South View 20, Fayetteville Seventy-First 7
Huntersville Hopewell 28, Charlotte Providence 14
Indian Trail Porter Ridge 11, Hickory Ridge 8
Jacksonville 10, Havelock 7
Jacksonville Northside 38, North Brunswick 12
Jamestown Ragsdale 22, Greensboro Page 14
Kernersville Glenn 21, North Forsyth 0
Kill Devil Hills First Flight 22, Williamston 18
Lenoir Hibriten 56, Claremont Bunker Hill 0
Lumberton 22, Fairmont 12
Maiden 35, Newton Foard 0
Matthews Butler 55, Charlotte Berry Tech 0
Monroe 56, Marvin Ridge 7
Monroe Sun Valley 28, Kannapolis Brown 10
Mooresville 27, China Grove Carson 7
Mt. Airy 45, South Stokes 7
Mt. Pleasant 14, Central Cabarrus 0
Murphy 52, Sylva Smoky Mountain 21
New Bern 42, Wilmington Laney 0
North Davidson 28, Central Davidson 6
North Duplin 33, Clinton Union 8
North Gaston 47, Lincolnton 20
North Henderson 34, Asheville Erwin 14
North Rowan 34, East Bend Forbush 0
North Stanly 40, Chatham Central 7
North Stokes 38, Elkin 14
Northeast Guilford 28, Northwest Guilford 6
Northwest Cabarrus 28, South Rowan 7
Orange County 80, Carrboro 19
Oxford Webb 27, Yanceyville Yancey 6
Panther Creek 19, Holly Springs 16
Pasquotank County 39, Elizabeth City Northeastern 33, 2OT
Perquimans County 23, Edenton Holmes 20
Person County 26, Halifax County, Va. 13
Pittsboro Northwood 34, Lee County 27
Polk County 29, Landrum, S.C. 27
R-S Central 54, McDowell County 26
Raleigh Athens Drive 28, Raleigh Sanderson 16
Raleigh Broughton 15, Chapel Hill 8
Raleigh Enloe 37, Durham Riverside 17
Raleigh Leesville Road 56, Morrisville Green Hope 0
Raleigh Millbrook 26, Northern Durham 17
Raleigh Ravenscroft 42, Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons 14
Randleman 35, East Montgomery 26
Reidsville 61, Rockingham County 7
Richlands 24, Lejeune 7
Richmond County 28, Pembroke Swett 20
Robersonville Roanoke 30, Gates County 6
Rocky Mount 17, Greenville Rose 7
Salemburg Lakewood 33, Seven Springs Spring Creek 0
Salisbury 27, West Stanly 14
Scotland County 39, East Wake 0
South Caldwell 34, Wilkes Central 13
South Columbus 25, East Bladen 7
South Mecklenburg 47, Charlotte Olympic 10
Southeast Guilford 13, Southern Guilford 6
Southern Lee 42, Southern Pines Pinecrest 19
Southern Vance 21, Northern Vance 9
Southern Wayne 36, Jones County 0
Southwest Onslow 20, Jacksonville White Oak 17
Statesville 35, South Iredell 13
SW Edgecombe 32, Farmville Central 22
Tarboro 27, North Edgecombe 6
Thomasville 12, Albemarle 7
Thomasville Ledford 14, Southwest Guilford 10
Trinity 35, St. Pauls 19
Wake Forest-Rolesville 46, High Point Central 13
Wallace-Rose Hill 40, East Duplin 18
Warren County 26, Weldon 22
Watauga County 25, North Surry 12
Weddington 35, Marshville Forest Hills 27
West Craven 26, Kinston 8
West Davidson 41, Boonville Starmount 13
West Forsyth 41, Pfafftown Reagan 21
West Henderson 49, Burnsville Mountain Heritage 12
West Iredell 48, East Rowan 27
West Johnston 48, Spring Lake Overhills 20
West Lincoln 29, East Rutherford 21
West Rowan 53, North Iredell 0
West Wilkes 37, Kernersville McGuinness 0
Western Alamance 58, Graham 13
Whiteville 7, West Columbus 0
Wilson Beddingfield 22, Southern Nash 14
Wilson Fike 24, Eastern Wayne 17
Wilson Hunt 21, Nash Central 7
Winston-Salem Atkins 28, East Forsyth 25, OT
Winston-Salem Carver 28, Winston-Salem Reynolds 16
Winston-Salem Parkland 28, Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor 27, OT

Live from Crest

Box score (sorry about the formatting)
Crest 14, Shelby 7
Shelby 7 0 0 0 — 7
Crest 6 0 8 0 — 14
First quarter
Sh — Larry Raper 48 pass from Howard Thompson (Almond kick)
Cr — Tosh Toms 5 run (kick failed)
Third quarter
Cr — Ryan Black 33 run (Toms run)
Sh Cr
First downs 11 8
Rushes-yards 29-102 39-186
Passing yards 124 7
Passes 7-16-0 1-5-0
Fumbles-lost 3-2 2-1
Penalties-yards 5-55 13-120
Punts-avg. 4-30 5-36.2
Individual statistics
Rushing — Shelby: Donovan Gidney 10-38, Howard Thompson 8-36, Marc Williams 5-15, Larry Raper 6-13, Crest: Ryan Black 16-83, Tosh Toms 10-69, Reggie Wilkins 12-34.
Passing — Shelby: Thompson 7-16-0 124 yards; Crest: Wilkins 1-5-0 7 yards.
Receiving: Shelby — Tim Gullatte 3-50, Raper 1-48, Williams 1-10, O’Bryan Gullatte 1-6, Chris Scott 1-10; Crest: Jamar Flack 1-7.

Game Blog
Set up in the Crest pressbox about 30 minutes before kickoff for the 40th edition of the Shelby-Crest rivalry battle.

It's tight quarters here in the pressbox at Sid Bryson Stadium, but I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible.

Be sure to check out Star photographer Jeff Melton's blog for photos from the game.

Uniforms - Shelby in its all white with black trim with gold helmets; Crest is in its green tops, gold pants with gold helmets.

Captains - Shelby: Corey Brooks, Sam Burrus; Crest: Nelson Bullard, Dwayne Maddox, Todd Blanton, Philippe Auguste

Huge crowd as always ...
1st
- Shelby scores on first series on a 48 yard TD pass from Howard Thompson to Clemson signee Larry Raper. Almond's kick makes it 7-0 at 9:50
- Crest answers with 9-play drive, all running plays, capped by Tosh Toms 5-yard run at 5:56. Toms set up the TD with a 32-yard scamper. Kick failed, 7-6
2nd
9 minutes left and Shelby with ball at midfield.
Wild play ... Turner Almond's 50 yard FG try well short, Crest's Levon Brooks brings the missed try all the way back inside the SHS 5, but the run negated by a penalty at the CHS 30.
Crest with ball and 6:35 left at own 22
Almond 46 FG try misses short at 3:43
First half ends at 7-6 ... After initial possessions, game settles into a defensive struggle. Shelby with five first downs, while Crest has just three. No turnovers for either team. Penalties have been big ... CHS with 7 for 70 yards. SHS with 4 for 45 yards.
Stat leaders - SHS - Rushing: Thompson 5-24; Passing: Thompson 3-67-0, TD; Receiving: Raper 1-48, TD. CHS - Rushing: Toms 3-44, TD; Wilkins 8-22; Passing: Wilkins 0-2-0.

3rd quarter just under way
Crest will start on own 22
5 minutes left in the 3rd. Chargers with a chance to make a big play, but a long pass attempt dropped near the SHS 10. CHS with 3rd and 20 at midfield.
CHS has long TD pass negated by an illegible receiver downfield call ... SHS turns it over on next possession.
CHS capitalizes on first turnover of game on a 33 yard TD run by Ryan Black at 3:OO.
Toms 2 point conversion run makes it 14-7.
3rd quarter ends with CHS with ball and 3rd and 14 at own 27

4th quarter
2 big turnovers by both teams early/mid quarter. CHS with 4th and 3 and going for it. CHS turns it over on downs. SHS with ball at own 40 with 3:24 left.
CHS with goaline stand to hold off SHS drive ... Chargers run out clock and win 14-7

Estimated 7,000 in attendance

My take on this week's games

Shelby (2-0) at Crest (2-0)
On paper, the 40th edition of this storied rivalry looks to be a low-scoring battle between two teams with strong defenses.

With the likes of Donovan Gidney, Larry Raper and Marc Williams at Shelby and Ryan Black and Tosh Toms at Crest, both of these teams also feature solid running games. But mixing in a pass from time-to-time will be key to keeping the opposing defense honest.

Points could be at a premium tonight, so the team that takes advantage of good field position should come out of Sid Bryson Stadium 3-0.

Burns (1-1) at Ashbrook (0-3)
Burns is coming off a big win over East Gaston, so the Bulldogs should be confident going into their first road game of the season. The Green Wave are winless, but not without talent and are a better team than their 3-0 record indicates.

Burns will have to contain Green Wave receiver Jheranie Boyd, who had nearly 100 yards receiving last week at Shelby.

Kings Mountain (1-1) at Forestview (1-1)
The Jaguars won 48-21 at Kings Mountain last season, so the Mountaineers should be out for revenge. Other than last year, these two teams are usually evenly matched, and I think this one will be close in Gastonia tonight.

If the Mounties can keep Forestview running back Keon Williams contained, Greg Lloyd's squad should be 2-1 heading into next week's game at Crest.

AP High School football poll

RALEIGH — The Associated Press state high school football polls for North Carolina for the week of Sept. 4, first-place votes in parentheses, records and total points as voted upon by a statewide panel of prep sports writers:

Class 4-A
1. Charlotte Independence (12) 1-1 148
2. Matthews Butler (3) 2-0 129
3. Greenville Rose (1) 2-0 103
4. Richmond County 2-0 73
5. Wilmington Hoggard 2-0 70
6. Crest 2-0 50
7. West Charlotte 3-0 49
8. Garner 3-0 40
9. Scotland County 2-0 39
10. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor 3-0 25
Others receiving votes: Hope Mills South View 22, Wake Forest-Rolesville 17, Raleigh Leesville Road 14, Greensboro Grimsley 14, Fayetteville Sanford 9, Davie County 8, East Burke 7, Charlotte Providence 6, Raleigh Wakefield 6, New Bern 6, North Mecklenburg 5, East Mecklenburg 5, Asheville Reynolds 5, Charlotte Myers Park 4, Fayetteville Smith 4, Concord Robinson 4, New Hanover County 3, Fuquay-Varina 3, Durham Hillside 3, East Rowan 2, Lee County 2, North Davidson 2, South Caldwell 1, Watauga County 1, Fayetteville Britt 1.

Class 3-A
1. Western Alamance (9) 3-0 131
2. Charlotte Catholic (2) 2-1 80
3. Rocky Mount 3-0 79
4. Kannapolis Brown 3-0 78
5. North Gaston (1) 2-0 60
6. Hertford County 3-0 48
7. Monroe Sun Valley 3-0 45
8. SouthWest Edgecombe 2-0 41
9. Northeast Guilford 2-0 40
10. Belmont South Point 2-0 38
Others receiving votes: Asheville Roberson (1) 31, Winston-Salem Carver (1) 27, Anson County (2) 24, Greensboro Dudley 23, West Rowan 21, Hickory 19, Kernersville Glenn 14, Asheville 13, Franklin 10, Winston-Salem Parkland 8, Northwest Cabarrus 7, West Iredell 7, Lawndale Burns 6, Eastern Randolph 5, Jamestown Ragsdale 5, South Johnston 4, Eastern Alamance 4, Wilson Hunt 2, Waynesville Tuscola 2, Concord 2, Mooresville 2, Jacksonville 1, Eastern Wayne 1, Bertie County 1, Nash Central 1.

Class 2-A
1. Shelby (10) 2-0 145
2. Reidsville (4) 2-0 128
3. Burlington Cummings (1) 2-1 95
4. Bunn (1) 2-0 92
5. Southern Vance 3-0 58
6. Jacksonville Northside 3-0 51
7. Brevard 2-1 40
8. Maiden 2-1 37
9. Greene Central 3-0 25
10. East Duplin 2-0 23
Others receiving votes: Southwest Onslow 21, Canton Pisgah 20, Wilkes Central 19, East Lincoln 14, South Columbus 14, Mt. Pleasant 10, West Davidson 10, Whiteville 9, Black Mountain Owen 9, Farmville Central 9, Thomasville Ledford 9, Boonville Starmount 9, West Caldwell 6, North Brunswick 5, Clinton 5, Lincolnton 3, West Lincoln 2, Tarboro 2, Elizabeth City Northeastern 2, Lenoir Hibriten 2, Central Davidson 1, Salisbury 1, South Iredell 1, St. Pauls 1, Sylva Smoky Mountain 1, Newton-Conover 1.

Class 1-A
1. Thomasville (11) 2-0 153
2. Warsaw Kenan (4) 3-0 111
3. Wallace-Rose Hill 2-0 99
4. Mt. Airy 3-0 85
5. Polk County 3-0 72
6. East Bladen 2-0 63
7. Plymouth 3-0 47
8. Cherokee (1) 2-1 38
9. West Montgomery 3-0 32
10. Siler City Jordan-Matthews 3-0 31
Others receiving votes: Chocowinity Southside 19, Elkin 16, East Carteret 16, Murphy 16, East Surry 12, Ayden-Grifton 12, Northampton-West 8, Manteo 8, North Duplin 8, Albemarle 7, Louisburg 6, West Wilkes 5, Hobbton 5, Dixon 4, Hendersonville 3, Robbinsville 2, Pender County 2.

Appalachian State Defeats #5 Michigan (Radio Call)

Call 'em homers, but you have to love the enthusiasm of the local radio guys on this call ... "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Appalachian State Miracle

Last several minutes of App. State's win over Michigan on the Big Ten TV network